The Blues came into the 2021 season with some very high hopes of making finals and potentially going further. However, despite some good performances, the Blues ultimately had another season to forget.
With a record of 8-14, Carlton finished outside of the top ten for the eighth year in a row, taking out the 13th spot.
Such a year forced Carlton's board to make some moves throughout the off-season, which included sacking coach David Teague and adding new players to their midfield, such as ex-Freo star Adam Cerra and ex-Swans hard-nut George Hewett.
The void left behind from Teague's sacking was quickly filled by Brisbane Lions triple premiership player Michael Voss, who is a senior coach once again in the AFL.
Moving into the 2022 premiership season, all eyes of the football world will be on the Blues and whether they can muster up some sort of improvement.
We look into the five burning questions facing the Blues organisation in 2022.
Can Michael Voss be the coach the Blues have been looking for?
In recent years, the Blues have had a plethora of coaches who have come and gone after unsuccessful stints in charge.
Among the like, Mick Malthouse, interim coach John Barker, Brendon Bolton and Teague all endure arduous tenures and disappointing results in the Princes Park hot seat.
Carlton has been crying out for a great coach throughout their whole rebuild and thus will be hoping that Michael Voss can be the one the Blues are looking for.
Whilst Voss had a disappointing start to senior coaching at the Lions, the AFL legend will be hoping to put together all of the knowledge and experience he has accumulated to bring some success to Carlton.
With a primary focus of improving the mindset of the players and boosting their defence, Voss' coaching will be a major factor if the Blues are to perform well this year.
As Voss himself put it, Carlton was in need of a "serious reset," one which began on the first day of pre-season.
Can the Blues replace Liam Jones?
With pre-season underway and the reset seemingly going to plan, the news of Liam Jones' retirement rocked not only Ikon Park, but the whole footballing world.
Jones had come off a career-best year for the Blues, finishing fifth in intercepts per game and seventh in one-percenters across the whole competition.
Most impressive of all, out of a total of 110 contested defensive one-on-one contests, Jones only lost an astonishing 13.
Moving forward, Carlton doesn't have an obvious replacement who could slip straight into the backline and play as big of a role as Jones in the side.
Had the news been a little earlier, the Blues potentially could have had more of a focus on acquiring a key defender of a similar calibre to Jones.
Michael Voss has flagged recruit Lewis Young and swingman Mitch McGovern as likely replacements for the star defender.
Whilst the coaching group will not be able to completely replace him, they will be hoping to get a solid performance from whoever does take his spot.
Can the Blues stay healthy?
Over the last few years, Carlton's struggles haven't just been tactical or mental. Rather, their inability to stay healthy for long periods of time has plagued their on-field performance, disabling them from gaining any sort of consistency.
For example, Sam Docherty, Harry McKay, Patrick Cripps and most notably Charlie Curnow have all either struggled to get onto the ground or perform at the level we are accustomed to seeing.
Despite being a regular in the Carlton 22, Cripps has been hampered significantly with injury over the last couple of years, making it difficult for him to find any sort of form.
Corroborating this, Cripps averaged 28 touches, 17 contested possessions and 8.5 clearances in 2019, compared to 23.4 touches, 12.3 contested possessions and 5.4 clearances in 2021. If anything, Cripps should have gotten better with age, but instead his output reduced significantly.
Curnow will also be of absolute importance for the Blues as he aims to form a dynamic forward duo with Coleman medallist Mckay.
Carlton's trainers and medical staff will be of great dependence this year as the Blues aim to stay healthy and climb the ladder.
How does their midfield take shape?
For too long now, Carlton's engine room hasn't had enough depth to accompany their midfield stars.
However, this year, with the inclusions of the aforementioned Cerra and Hewett, along with another year of experience under their youngsters' belts, their midfield will be hoping to dominate opposition onballers and wingers.
Cerra salvaged himself a terrific 2021, averaging 23 disposals a game in the midfield. As he moves onto 2022, Cerra will be hoping to improve his ability to use the ball effectively whilst getting a lot of contested footy.
Alongside him in the midfield will be ex-Swan Hewett, who is coming off a reasonable season where he averaged 18 touches a game. Unlike Cerra, Hewett will be used more as a defensive midfielder, a role he is well-accustomed to, having tagged the best players in the competition.
Lining up alongside them will be captain Cripps, who will be hoping to return to form whilst superstar Sam Walsh will strive to reach new heights in 2022 after a stellar past 12 months, which saw him finish in the top five in the Brownlow.
Tapping it to these onballers will be Marc Pittonet, who adds much-needed aggression and drive to the team. Meanwhile, Tom De Koning will take time in the ruck, giving the side some more athleticism in the middle.
Adding some more grunt and experience, Ed Curnow will be another regular in the Blues midfield set-up.
On the wing, there are many options to choose from, with Zac Williams, Lochie O'Brien and even Zac Fisher likely to line up there throughout the year.
With guys like Lachie Fogarty, Will Setterfield, Matthew Kennedy and Paddy Dow all likely to get minutes in the middle, the Blues midfield has plenty of depth which will help them going forward.
Are the Blues a top eight side?
Whilst everything above is important, results are what matter the most. The Blues expect to make finals and their fans won't take anything less.
Their list is as good as it's been for multiple years, they have a new coach, crowds should be back in full force at the 'G and they've brought some great new players into their squad.
Further, every young player of theirs has another year of experience which will help them all the more as they aim for that top eight spot.
There's no doubt they can make finals, but will they actually do it? Time will tell.
